Aerial mail exchange



Oct. 27, 1942. KELTON Re. 22,212

' AERIAL MAIL EXCHANGE Original Filed July 22, 1956 ZJ SheetS-Sheet l ATTORNEY-S Oct. 27; 1942.

R. l. KELTON AERIAL MAIL; EXCHANGE s Sheets-She et 2 Original Filed July 22, 1936 ATTORN EYS Oct. 27; 1942. R; 1. KELTON AERIAL MAIL EXCHANGE Original Filed July 22,

1936 I: Shee ts-Sheet 3' ATTORNEYS Reissued Oct. 27, 1942 AERIAL MAIL EXCHANGE Ralph I. Kelton, Watertown, Mass, assignor to All American Aviation, Inc., New Castle County,

Delaware Original No. 2,141,536, dated December 27, 1938, Serial No. 91,953, July 22, 1936. Application for reissue April 24, 1940, Serial No. 331,410..

3 Claims.

The invention relates to an aerial mail exchange and more especially to a pick-up and delivery apparatus for air mail.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus of this character, where there is arranged on an aircraft a pick-up device, this operating with a ground station for the picking-up of mail therefrom whil the aircraft isalso equipped with a deliveryfdevice for the deposit of mail from the aircraft into a receiving basket at a ground station and in this fashion while the aircraft is in flight mail can be exchanged between the ground station and the said craft, the devices being of novel construction.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus of this character, wherein mail between a ground station and an aircraft in flight can be conveniently exchanged or transferred from one to the other without any interference in the flight of such plane and avoiding the neces sity of a manual duty imposed upon the operator of the plane for effecting such exchange other than the proper piloting of the craft for effecting the exchange of mail.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus or this character, wherein the exchange devices for mail upon the aircraft are susceptible of being folded when inactive or set for operation of exchange and thus these will be out of the way and avoiding retarding of the flight of the plane as well as assuring quick exchange or transfer of mail from th craft to a station device and vice versa.

A still further object of the invention i the provision of an apparatus of this character, which is comparatively simple in its construction, readily and easily operated, thoroughly reliable and elficient in its functioning, and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment of the invention and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is an elevation of the aircraft show.- ing the same in flight and in a position for the picking up of mail from a ground station by the apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the ground station showing pick-up mail supported such device.

' Figure 5 is a perspective view of th pick-up hook thereof.

Figure '6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 4 locking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line |-l of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the ground station device.

Figure 9 is a sectional view on the line 99 of Figure 8 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevation.

Figure 11 15a sectional viewon the line |I--H of Figure 8 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 12 is a side elevation partly in section of a mail receiving basket showing in elevation an aircraft in position for the dropping of mail thereinto.

Figure 13 is a top plan view of the basket.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view through the aircraft showing the mail delivery device thereof.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the delivery device showing it in releasing position for mail.

Figur 16 is a vertical sectional view through the mail pouch for the receiving and delivery or exchange of mail between an aircraft and a station.

Figure 17 is a detail fragmentary sectional view showing the coupling ring of the pouch for the mail delivery device disclosed in Figures 14 and 15.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates generally an aircraft of any conventional type and B a ground station, respectively, the latter can be arranged on a ground foundation or upon the roof of a building. This station B comprises a pair of spaced perpendicular hollow masts or poles to which are suitably anchored in place and rigidly held by tie cables II and I2, respectively, while journaled near the upper ends of these masts or poles and also close to the foundation or roof supporting such masts or poles are guide pulleys |3 over which aretrained cables I, these at their lower ends being adapted to be wound on and from a windlass or drum l5 journaled in a stand I5 beneath a platform H. The upper ends of the cables M are connected to carriages l8, each having rollers IQ for traction upon the companion mast or pole l0. These carriages I travel up and down upon said masts or poles III .by the winding of the cables I! 'on and from the windlas I5, the latter being rotated from a hand crank 20 at one'side 0f the stand It. This crank 2|! is conyeniently situated for the manual control thereof by an operator when upon the foundation or roof supporting the masts or poles.

The carriages l8 havejrotatably fitted therein hook-like hangers 2| to be engaged by a suspension loop .22 supporting a pick-up pouch or mail. bag 23. The loop being also adapted as a pick-up cable for the transfer of mail from the station'B to the aircraft A in a manner presently described.

The hook-like hangers 2| are adapted for adjustment to let off freely the pick-up loop 22 fromeither side of the station B as on the pickup of such loop 22 it freely rides off of the hangers 2| at the bill ends 24 thereof.

Rotatably arranged at the upper ends of the masts or poles lllare arrows or pointers 25 serving as lndicators, these being made fast to turning shafts 26 journaled centrally within the masts or poles Ill and each shaft 26 extends downwardly to a distance close to the foundation or roof supporting. said masts or poles. The lower I end of each shaft25 hasfixed thereto a gear 21 meshing with a pinion 28 fixed to a stud shaft 29 for a turn wheel '30 which is located outside of eachmast or pole I0 and such wheel is hand operated for regulating the position of the pointpended perpendicular position can be folded or swung, inwardly; with respect to the fuselage of the aircraft A through a cable ll attached at 42 to said arm 3| and also adapted to be wound on and unwound from a windlass 43 in a stand 4| .interiorly of the aircraft A, the windless 43 being controlled by a manually operated han die 45. I

Arranged at the bottom of the fuselage of the aircraft A is a latch 45 which is manually controlled by a lever 41 and is adapted to fasten the I arm 3| when inwardly folded next to the bottom of the fuselage of the aircraft. This folded position of the arm 3| renders the pick-up device inoperative.

On releasing the arm 3| from the latch ii the latter under its weight will gravitate to a depending perpendicular position beneath the fuselage of the aircraft A to assume a pick-up position and this arm when in said position is latched by a releasable brace 48 to avoid accidental folding at the station B so that such loop and its pouch er or indicator 25 at thetop of each mast or pole. The purpose of the pointers or arrows 25 is to indicate to an aircraft operator. the positioning of .the hangers 2| for the letting off of pick-up mail to either side of .the station B and thus such operator of the aircraft canproperly direct his flight for the pick-up of mail at the. station from either side thereof according to the indication of the pointers or arrows 25, these being set manually as before stated.

Exteriorly' of the aircraft A at the bottom of its fuselage is a pick-up device C comprising a, swinging pick-up arm. 3| hinged at 32 for swinging movement either toward or away from such aircraft and when from the aircraftwill assume a depending position with relation to the fuselage of the aircraft and which is the pick-up position of such arm; The arm 3| is formed with a longitudinal guide way 33 therein in which are fitted slides 35 permanently attached to and supporting a pick-up hook 36 having an eye terminal 31 to which is connected to cable 33 adapted to be wound on and unwound from a windlass or drum 38 carried in a stand 33 interiorlyof the fuselage of the aircraft A. This cable 38 permits the hook 36 to be raised or lowered and when in lowered position it will be located on the arm 3| for the pick-up of the loop 22 for the transfer of mail within the pouch 23 from the station E to the craft A. On the pick-up of the loop 22 the hook 35 can be raised longitudinally of the arm 3| and thus permitting the pouch 23 to be drawn into the aircraft A through an opening All in the bottom of the fuselage" of the aircraft for the receiving of the pouch 23 within the latter.

The arm 3| when the same is swung to asusor bag can be picked up by anaircraft when in flight on the setting of the pick-up device thereon. I

' e platform -|'I is for the purpose of convenience in the placing of theloop 22 with the pouch or bag 23 thereon upon the hangers 2| when the carriages have been lowered on the masts or poles Ill and such carriages l8 when raised on the masts or poles will position the loop 22 and its pouch or bag 23 at the proper elevation for the pick-up of the same.

At the station E particularly upon the roof of a building is arranged a'receiving basket D having a concaved netted bottom 49 and vertical netted sides 50, respectively, the opposite ends 5| beingclosed and netted while at an intermediate point of the bottom for communication with the basket D is a throat 52 leading into a spiral chute 53 within a tubular column 54 which with the chute 53 opens into a place of deposit so that mail delivered from an aircraft in flight can be conveyed to this point or place of deposit from within the basket D, the delivery of the mail to the latter being hereinafter fully described. The closed ends 5| of the basket D prevent the mail pouch from bounding out of such basket and thus positive catching of the pouch can be assured.

' The mail when within a pouch or bag on the dropping of the latter into the basket D will be caused to gravitate to and through the throat 52 and thence be carried down the spiral chute or way 53 to the point or place of deposit.

On the aircraft A is a mail delivery device E comprising a straightv shiftable tube 55 slidable in a carrier sleeve 55 which is hinged at 51 to the top of the fuselage of the aircraft A whereby the tube 55 can be swung to an upright position or inwardly against the top of thefuselage of the craft A, the latter position being thenormal disposition of said tube while the upright "position is that for the delivery of mail from the 'E into the basket -D whence it will be deposited aircraft to the station B or the receiving basket D. The upright position of the tube 55 is permitted by the forming'of a clearance opening 58 in the top of the fuselage of the craft A which opening vertically aligns with the opening 40 in the bottom of said craft. The'tube 55 at the delivery end thereof has pivoted thereto a grapple-like latch 59 operated from a link toggle 60 controlled by a shift rod Bl interiorly of said tube 55 and this grapple-like latch 59 releasably fastens a coupling ring 62 on and about the tube 55, the ring being attached to a mail pouch-or bag 53 and is provided with a slidable opening and closing jaw 64 so that said ring can be conveniently placed loosely about the tube 55 or removed therefrom when the grapple-like latch 59 is in latching position. Thus it will be seen that any number of pouches or bags 53 for carrying mail can be loosely engaged or carried upon the tube 55 for delivery by the delivery device E, there being several pouches or bags carried by the said device as is shown in Figure 12 of the drawings.

When the tube 55 is wearing one or several of the pouches or bags 63 for its or their delivery it is, of course, understood that the tube 55 hasbeen shifted from the position folded onto the top of the fuselage of the craft to an upright position and thence by hand an operator pulls downwardly upon the tube 55 to have the same lowered through the openings 40 and 58, respectively, in the fuselage whereby the pouches or bags 63 will be suspended beneath the craft A to the required distance conforming to the length of the tube 55 slidably fitting the sleeve 55 for enabling a successful delivery of mail from the aircraft to the basket D, the delivery being effected through'an actuator 65 for the control rod GI and this actuator is manually operated and is carried at the end of the tube 55 remote from the latch 59, being accessible through the opening 58 to an operator interiorly of the aircraft A.

The pouch or bag 23 is of spherical shape and is formed in separable or hingedly connected half globe form, although it may be of any other construction or type.

By the devices in the aircraft A and at the station B mail matter can be exchanged between the aircraft and said station while the craft is in flight and without interference with the flight thereof.

The mail matter is picked up from the station B for reception bythe aircraft A while in flight while the mail matter to be delivered from the latter to the station B is dropped by the device at a determined'place or point through the way 53 in the chute 54.

The arm 3| of the device C gives the proper reach to the hook 38 when it is required to pick up mail from the station E for reception in the aircraft A when in flight.

What is claimed is;

1. In combination with an aircraft having a fuselage, a pick-up device comprising a swinging pick-up arm, a longitudinal guide way therein, a plurality of slides fitting said guide way, a hook having a shank fixed to said slides, attaching means on said hook for attaching a cable thereto, a cable trained through said guide way and attached at one end to said attaching means, a

Windlass interiorly of the fuselage for the wind- I extending forwardly of said arm and outside of said guideway. I

2. In combination with an aircraft having a fuselage, a pick-up device comprising a swinging arm having a longitudinal guideway therein, a plurality of slides fitting said guideway, a hook having a shank fixed to saidslides and attaching means on said shank for afflxing a cable thereto, a Windlass interiorly of said fuselage for the winding andunwinding of the cable on and off the Windlass, one end of the cable afllxed to said windlassand said cable trained through said longitudinal guideway and aflixecl at its other end to the attaching means on the shank of said hook, and an adjusting cable connected with said arm and operated from within the fuselage for the unfolding and folding of said arm relatively to said fuselage.

3. In an aircraft, a fuselage, an arm adiustably attached to the underside of said fuselage,

said arm having a slotted, internal guideway extending a substantial part of the length thereof, a pick-up line adapted to be trailed from said aircraft, means carried by said fuselage for drawing in or paying out said pick-up line, a hook attached to the trailing end of said line, said hook having a carrier connected thereto slidable in said guideway to guide the hook lengthwise of said arm, said carrier holding the bill of said hook in the direction of movement of said air.-

craft.

RALPH I. KELTON. 

